4 CD Box set from Mellow records devoted to recounting the wonderful 1970's Italian progressive rock scene…
Fausto Papetti was an Italian alto saxophone player. His recordings, sometimes under the pseudonym "Fausto Danieli", are also characterized by album art with sexy women posing half naked. His works have been widely well-known all over the world for the last six decades. He has played the majority of most famous world Hits and pop & jazz songs of 20th century, in 45 years of his career…
This album marked Djavan's association with American producers. After signing with CBS, he recorded this album in the U.S.A. (in Portuguese), which was produced by Ronnie Foster. For that occasion, Quincy Jones acquired the publishing rights of many of his songs through Djavan's own publisher Luanda. The album is divided between a romantic section and swinging tunes. "Pétala" and "Açaí" (pop ballads), "Nobreza," and "Banho de Rio" (orchestral canções) take charge of the romantic part. "Luz," "Capim," "Sina," "Samurai," "Esfinge," and "Minha Irmã" are the swinging segment. The interesting harmonies/melodies and the jazz-like arrangements of this section aroused interest for Djavan's music in the U.S.A. and some of these songs and others were recorded by Manhattan Transfer, among others.
An album of pure, crystalline beauty. Very peaceful, though there are some up-tempo tracks like Ele Me Deu Um Beijo Na Boca (a very curious one with interesting lyrics) and Sina, with a reggae flavour. But what I liked best are the slow romantic songs. Queixa, Coqueiro de Itapoa, Sete Mil Vezes, Sonhos - all of them have their very special depth of sentiment, very unique charm… but the best one is definitely Trem das Cores.
A master of the kora (21-string West African harp), Toumani Diabaté has brought the traditional music of his native Mali to the attention of an international audience with a series of well-received solo albums and some unlikely, but acclaimed, collaborations. Although he came from a family of musicians, Diabaté (born August 10, 1965) taught himself to play the kora at an early age, as his father, who also played the instrument, was often away touring. He developed a style of playing that, while being strongly rooted in the Malian tradition, is also open to a wide range of other influences, such as jazz and flamenco. He has subsequently sought out other musicians from around the world who are willing to experiment with him, even performing a concert in Amsterdam with a classical harpist.